NationStates Jolt Archive

Terrorism threatens traditional Saint Nicolas Celebrations in Van Luxemburg

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A counter-terrorism team of the Sint-Annabeek police moves into a school to guard the tradition of Saint Nicolas.

LUXEMBOURG – Law enforcement units of the Grand Duchy could be seen on the streets en masse today. This was because of an increased risk of terrorism, according to the public relations department of the Kommunalpolizei. The Ministry of Culture, Health and Sports, as well as several government instances around the nation, including schools, received threats made by a yet unknown group. These threats are said to be related to the ‘racist tradition’ of Sinterklaas in Van Luxemburg, because of ‘Zwarte Piet’ (Black Pete) being depicted as a slave. Regardless of these threats, most Saint Nicolas celebrations continued.

A yet unknown group is held responsible for the threats, that were mainly directed at schools that organised the traditional celebration. The group warned for bombings and fires on locations where the Saint would come and visit children. ‘The threats mentioned that they would target schools and children specifically.’, according to a local police commissar in Sint-Annabeek. Security around schools was raised after the threats, and the Marechaussee, Van Luxemburg’s Gendarmerie force, received clearance to be equipped with military-grade rifles in ‘increased risk areas’. ‘So far, no reports of terrorist activities have reached us’, a public relations officer of the Marechaussee commented. ‘However, we have to be prepared for everything.’

The IVD has so far not found any leads during their investigation. ‘We are completely in the dark, despite our close cooperation with law enforcement organisations’. The intelligence service thinks that the threats were not made by native inhabitants of the Grand Duchy. ‘Van Luxemburgers have been familiar with this celebration for years, and know it is a tradition. Slavery has never been a topic during Saint Nicolas, and we suspect that minority groups may have been the cause of these threats.’ IVD officials also said that they found it immoral to target children specifically.

Saint Nicolas is a longstanding tradition in the Grand Duchy: It derives from a European tradition, mainly popular in the Low Countries, and consists of an old man, Saint Nicolas, coming to the nation by boat with his assistant/employee Black Pete (nowadays, there are believed to be more Black Petes), and handing out presents to children. This happens especially on the 5th of December, Saint Nicolas’ Birthday. ‘Black Pete’ is depicted as a Moor (a black person coming from Africa), assisting Saint Nicolas (depicted as a patron saint) by distributing the presents and sweets to the children. ‘Naughty children’ were taken back to Spain (The legend of Saint Nicolas names Spain as his home) as punishment.

(OOC: Open to international responses: No massive military interventions though. I'm not planning to turn this into a full-scale RP, just a bit of background on VL. To be continued.)

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The Dominion of De Vliggenplaat


His Plaatische Majesty's Government wishes to express its support of their courageous Lëtzebuerger allies and assures the Lëtzebuerger Government that this threat did not arise from His Plaatische Majesty's Colony of Kaspembe. Should Marechaussee investigations into these depraved threats discover a link to the Dominion, the Grand Duchy's law enforcement agencies are more than welcome to pursue these cowardly terrorists and will enjoy the full support and cooperation of His Plaatische Majesty's law enforcement agencies.

Our best wishes for the holiday season and kindest regards,
[Signed]
Henri-Joachim von Ulvern van Rosenhopf.

Official Communiqué from the office of the Grand Duke of Van Luxemburg
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We would like to thank our Plaatische colleagues and allies for their support. Our security services are currently still investigating the threats made by a yet unknown group. We cannot tell the Plaatische government if this group has any links with the Dominion. We wish to thank you in advance for your support in this matter. If required, our law enforcement agencies will no doubt contact yours.

Signed,
Grand Duke Koen van Luxemburg
Grand Duke of Van Luxemburg
Burg Rickenbach, Stanzertal.
05-12-2008


UPDATED 15:55: Police officials have confirmed that fire brigades are fighting a fire in a school in Sint-Annabeek: casualties have yet to be reported. Eye witnesses said that the children currently inside the school could be brought outside in an orderly fashion before the fire intensified. It is unknown if the fire is connected to the threats received by the school earlier today. Law enforcement officers are investigating the case, together with IVD officials also on the scene.

FURTHER UPDATE 17:18: Firemen have found the lifeless bodies of 3 unidentified persons in a school in Sint-Annabeek. Police units have locked down the scene, and forensic detectives are currently investigating the bodies and the school.

FURTHER UPDATE 18:45: A press conference has been called by the Sint-Annabeek Police in 15 minutes. Further updates on the terrorism threat during Saint Nicolas are to be expected.

UPDATE 19:30: A local Sint-Annabeek Police commissar has stated that the three unidentified bodies in a burnt-out school in Sint-Annabeek belong to a 11-year old child, a 34-year old ‘Zwarte Piet’ and a yet unknown 22-year old male of Van Luxemburger nationality. IVD officials currently suspect that the 22-year old male is connected to the fire.

The school, idyllically situated in a small park in one of the newly-built single-family house neighbourhoods of Sint-Annabeek, stood as an empty black casing amidst a sea of grass, making it an awkward sight. Firetrucks and their crew looked at the building in disgust, cursing at their own failure to protect it from burning down. Police officers walked forth and back, but could not do much more than stand and look, since the building was now the possession of the forensic detectives. This meant that men and women in white coveralls and complete NBC equipment walked in and out, lugging large lamps inside and small bags of proof outside. The sky was slowly turning pitch black, but large floodlights, powered by various firetrucks standing by, let the area bathe in a pool of unnaturally white light.

Meanwhile, in a small field office at a corner of the park, IVD officers analysed the materials they received from the forensic detectives on the scene. The officers had already prepared themselves to work through the night to look at all the materials before sending it on to a local lab to be examined, but for one officer a night full of boredom examining possible proof ended with a single piece of paper. It was vaguely greenish, protected by the fire-retardant textile that surrounded it. According to his information, the paper belonged to the yet-unidentified 22-year old male, who carried no identification papers according to the forensic detectives. And indeed, this wasn’t an identification card. However, it was something not too dissimilar: vehicle papers. It would list all specifics on a certain vehicle, from license registration to the location of the chassis number and the date the car was first allowed on Van Luxemburger roads. This particular car, an older VLT L3 from Sint-Annabeek, could be checked in a centralised database to find out who the owner was; a relatively easy action that could be undertaken by a simple call to the Federal Traffic Service.

It gave the answer to one of the most important questions in this investigation: who was the 22-year old male? As this was discovered, it was fairly easy to authorise telephone taps on his house telephone and his mobile phone, but also to track his car: it was not at his home, as was discovered by two visiting police officers. The VLT was later tracked to an Autobahn entrance near Nardo in San Giustra, and a local undercover police vehicle was sent to follow it, at least until proper actions could be undertook. As this all happened, counter-terrorism teams all across the nation were alerted, so they could take actions immediately, in case further connections with other Van Luxemburgers would be uncovered.

For now, the IVD focused on only one thing: at 8 o’clock that night, a massive family show would air on RTVL, Van Luxemburg’s public television station, with of course Saint Nicholas and Black Peter standing in the center of attention. It would be the last chance for both militant groups and law enforcement to either attack or protect Saint Nicholas’ Eve.

‘Goodafternoon. RTVL is a go. Marcel is in.’

Those were the only words the IVD operator heard as he listened to the conversation. Immediately warning his superior, he also entered the computer database in order to locate the calling number. It took some time for the order to be processed, especially because the IVD had to contact the service provider to receive any information on the caller. They were however quick to cooperate, meaning the answer was in within several minutes: the telephone number belonged to a mobile phone, subscripted to a local provider. Once again, the provider was quick to give any information on the number, including the billing details that belonged to the number. This soon identified another member of the group, which by now had been dubbed the ‘Pieten Liberation Army’ by the media. And now, it seemed the group would stike into the heart of the Van Luxemburger media: the RTVL studios in Findel, roughly inbetween Esch-sur-Alzette and Luxembourg.

This was confirmed by the recorded call, and immediately triggered a response from security services: no matter the cost. Since the IVD realised they would not be able to prosecute the so-called terrorists without proper proof and without knowing who ‘Marcel’ was, they would have to wait until the terrorists struck, right into the heart of Van Luxemburg. This meant that military special operations units were immediately readied, including the much-feared Reebouwuecht, coming from Chateau Wewelsburg in Kopstal. This regiment was only employed for the security of high-risk persons, but also the most sensitive of military operations. The Reebouwuecht originally was an experienced regiment of troops coming from all kinds of military organizations and had all kinds of backgrounds; race or ethnicity was no problem, hence the name ‘Rainbow Guard’. It was one of the few special operations units that had women within it’s ranks. The Reebouwuecht was considered to be the most loyal military unit of the Grand Duchy, and it’s soldiers preferred death over captivity, if they were given the choice. Through an interesting course of elimination, their own personal equipment was chosen, no matter the cost. This resulted in not exactly a uniform unit, in which everyone knew their task and their colleagues.

However, the troops standing in the courtyard of Wewelsburg now, looked uniform, but not as expected. They had disguised themselves as Black Petes, their role perhaps only given away by their muscular appearances. Each carried a jute bag, but instead of them being filled with sweets and presents, they used them to hide their rifles and all kinds of personal equipment. With their faces covered in brown facial paint, they could not be identified as military operatives, which was exactly what they wanted.

Since it would take too long to actually drive to the studios, the decision was made to fly the operatives close to the studios, and then let them take a car from there. Only the RTVL management had been informed of their presence, so they would have to behave as inconspicuous as possible. They would be linked via radio to an IVD control center outside the studios, who would coordinate the action. They were in direct contact with other counter-terrorism units around the nation, who would take action immediately as the Reebouwuecht operatives would try to put down the studio-based threat. This streamlined operation was hoped to be the solution to the Grand Duchy’s tradition-based problems, and it would certainly lead to the apprehension of the majority of what had been dubbed the PLA.

Some half an hour later, the helicopter landed in a field outside of Findel. The group of 12 was rushed into the 3 waiting high-powered Monteluci luxury saloons, from where they drove themselves to the studio. The group had no trouble passing security, seeing they were part of the television show that was about to take place. Parking the cars on their dedicated spots, the waiting had begun. As they walked inside, neither of the soldiers showed any fear for what was to come, and seemed as cold as can be.

The same could be said for 2 men seated in the studio, sitting on either end of the public’s seats. In their bags, they carried the required components to make a Molotov Cocktail, and it would take only a minute or two at a private place, such as a bathroom or WC, to assemble it. Then, it could be thrown onto the stage, igniting the volatile fuels that were contained within the 1.5 litre bottle. It had been relatively easy to take the individual components inside, seeing security was only alert for more dangerous weapons than several bottles seemingly filled with water, as well as some sweets, liquid handsoap, a handkerchief and a zippo lighter. More people carried these inside, be it that those bottles would be filled with real water, instead of petrol, and the sweets would be real, instead of being black powder. What they however did not know, was that their opponents were just as well prepared, save for the fact that they carried bulletresistant vests and military-grade weapons instead of makeshift explosives.

As the show began, all operatives had prepared themselves, as far as they could. Even though they could not directly hold on to their rifles, it was close enough. Seeing that around 75 million people around the Grand Duchy would be watching the TV show, including children, it was inappropriate to come onto the stage with the guns at the ready: it would have to be a swift and smooth action, as much outside the view of the cameras as possible. It would take some minutes before they could appear on stage, together with Sinterklaas and other Black Petes, but the IVD expected no strikes before that happened anyway: it would have little effect, since it was not the right moment. After all, Sinterklaas and his helpers had not yet ‘arrived’, according to the TV scenario. It would first take an introduction, to let the actors arrive on the stage as their respective characters.

While most actors were in the make-up rooms, the Reebouwuecht ‘Pieten’ attached flashbang grenades and loaded the last of the bullets in the FN303 less-lethal launchers, which had been equipped with rubber impact bullets with a small paint load, to incapacitate and mark the terrorism suspects. Others made the various weapons they operated, amongst which the ubiquitous SIG552 assault rifles, FN P90’s and HK MP5’s, battle-ready. Other units had not disguised themselves as the Sint’s helpers, and had taken up positions that overlooked the public, using binoculars, sniper rifles and, once again, less-lethal weapons to take action immediately. A group of dedicated drivers waited outside with several armoured Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Maserati saloons, which would immediately evacuate both the special forces and the captured terrorists. Police vehicles outside the gates waited in concealed positions to immediately lock down the road as the convoy passed, making sure no accidents or incidents could take place. Once again, in a field a short Autobahn trip away, two unmarked Super Puma helicopters waited to pick up the team and their hostages, to take them to a highly secured detention facility near Nei Hivez.

As the minutes passed by, the team had prepared, and were on their way to the stage. They would be the first to appear, gathered around a group of actors that played the same role. Being centered in one position, they would be an attractive target for the suspects, meaning they could apprehend them fairly easily. So, as they walked onto the stages, busy waving at the public, the observation team above their heads monitored the people waving back. No suspicious movements could be spotted by the men and women, but the troops remained cautious, especially as a door was opened in the back of the studio. An RTVL security officer could be seen walking through the door and past the public, so there was no reason to take action.

However, only seconds later, the door opened for a second time, and a man walked into the studio, presumably returning after a sanitary visit. But the most distressing thing was that the man carried a bottle filled with an unclear substance, a handkerchief dipped in through the top. As the observation team looked more careful, he also carried a zippo lighter, which he tried to conceal by holding it close to his leg. On the other side of the studio, the same scene took place, even though with a different observer and a different suspect. In a short coordinated action, the observing team warned the intervention team by pushing the distress signal on their radio, meaning a high beeping sound would be produced in the headsets of the intervention team. At the same time, the observing team fired the FN303 less-lethals at both suspects, while also throwing flashbangs towards both suspects. As the suspects were marked, and the flashbangs exploded, the intervention team pulled out the weapons from the jute bags they carried, and revealed their true identity. Storming forwards into the confused public with their weapons pointed towards the two suspects, they caused a great stir amongst the actors, who knew nothing about the plans. Within seconds, the two suspects were each surrounded by half a dozen of heavily armed special forces operators, ironically disguised as the helpers the terrorists hated. Quickly wrapping plasticuffs around the suspects’ hands and feet, four operatives carried away each suspect, one operator per limb. The remaining four gathered the Molotov cocktails and zippo lighters, which had been dropped by the suspect in the first stages of the assault, while also covering their own retreat, in case more attackers would come from the public.

The whole action took no more than a minute, but it was enough to attract the attention of the various cameras positioned around the studio. 75 million people could see the actions performed by the special forces, but it was probably over before it actually started for most of them. The last thing the public would see of them was the observation team, in full gear with their faces hidden by balaclavas, retreating backstage after having confirmed there were no more suspects present in the studio. The show would just carry on as planned, while the convoy outside sped away from the RTVL grounds, engulfed in a sea of blue LED lights and their sirens blaring. As they turned out on the public road, police vehicles had already blocked the road for them to pass, leaving some drivers thinking about what the hell was going on. They would later obviously find out, and tell their children about how they saw the special forces leaving the RTVL terrain.

Meanwhile, the convoy accelerated aggressively, taking the first Autobahn entrance in the direction of Luxembourg. They used the outer left lane to bypass traffic, which was light at this time of day on this date. Reaching speeds in excess of 200 km/h, they would soon be far away from the studios the action took place. Moments later, they took the next exit and immediately turned onto a field, where the two helicopters waited for extraction. Even though the helicopters had been there for only half an hour, they attracted quite some local attention, since it was not usual for a helicopter to land on these agricultural fields. As the civilian attention was being held at bay by local police units, the convoy could safely drive up to the helicopters, and leave the area. The two suspects were forcefully pushed aboard the Super Pumas, probably leading to some bruises, but this did not seem too much of a problem to the Reebouwuecht units. Each suspect was located in a separate helicopter and blindfolded, so they could not communicate, and did not know where they would be going. By now, they were probably still wondering what had gone wrong.

As the action in the RTVL studios initiated, counter-terrorism teams all across the nation took action. In San Giustra, near Nardo, the vehicles of an Autobahnpolizei CT team surrounded the VLT L3 which had been followed since it had entered the motorway; it was swiftly pulled over to the side of the road after it had been surrounded, and two suspects were arrested with little effort. Jerrycans full of petrol and several hundred grams of black powder were found in the boot, along with two pistols, reportedly illegal because the suspects had no firearm license with them. The suspects were also taken to Nei Hivez, this time by a Pilatus PC-12 NG turboprop aircraft operated by the Army Air Arm, which had been waiting at a nearby airport.

The house in Sint-Annabeek was also raided, but local police CT units had called in the help of the Zinzener Grenadiers’ Fallschiermjeeër battalion. This resulted in local residents wondering what a Monteluci ‘Corazziere’ wheeled infantry fighting vehicle had to do in their street, with paratroops in full combat gear assisting police units to clear out a house, room by room. Moments later, a VLT truck of the same airmobile unit arrived, but this time serving with the engineering section of the battalion. Moments later, the local residents were evacuated from their houses, because of a bomb threat in the area. It turned out the truck and it’s crew were part of the Arméi’s EOD department, and that Fallschiermjeeër had found a possible bomb in the suspects’ house: After investigation by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal crew, the residents were quickly allowed to return to their houses, and once again, large amounts of black powder, liquid handsoap and petrol were removed from the house. EOD experts estimated that some 300 Molotov cocktails could have been made out of these specific ingredients, and that the cell was probably planning more attacks than just these two attacks. However, with Sinterklaas over, it would probably have been reserved for next year, they thought. Though, with currently all known members detained and large amounts of equipment confiscated, the chance would be little the group would be able to strike ever again.